A person suffering from asthma may when suffering an asthmatic attack have rather considerable trouble in breathing, due to swelling in the bronchi and due to secretion of mucus. There are various antiasthmatic pills that are effective, but which generally are somewhat slow-acting. There are also medications available for intravenous treatment which work quite rapidly, but which require administration by skilled medical personnel. For most patients the promptest, immediately available relief is by way of an inhalant. Epinephrine or other suitable asthmatic medication is packaged with a suitable diluent in a small pressurized cannister or cartridge which interfits with a mouthpiece. The patient places the mouthpiece in his mouth, and depresses the cartridge, thereby releasing a measured amount of medication which is inhaled through the mouthpiece.
Some patients do not inhale properly, and the mouthpiece may not be completely effective in cooperation with the cartridge to convert the medication into a mist which is deposited in the proper bronchial area to relieve the asthmatic attack. Often there are small droplets, rather than a mist, and this may be compounded by improper inhalation which results in much of the medication simply going into the throat and stomach where it is ineffective against the asthmatic attack.
The Inhalation Valve disclosed and claimed in our prior application Ser. No. 359,679 has done an admirable job in breaking up droplets into a mist form and in aiding asthmatic patients to inhale properly, and it has met with considerable commercial success.